It’s a cloudy day in Mauthausen
The sky is dark and grey
Silence reigns in this horrible place
Where so many lost their lives
Tears fall from the dark grey skies
And from eyes clouded in pain
How can you escape the shadows
Of those who died without a name
A window into another world
That few have ever seen
Is boldly placed before your face
You must take a look within
The horrors of a world gone mad
Where death comes every day
Is something few can comprehend
The sights that you cannot forget
The deadly silent air
The pictures of the untold dead
In the death camp’s hungry lair
Is there a way to understand
The cruelty within
Or is it simply a time
To never let it happen again
Image Description: A collage of pictures taken at Mauthausen Concentration Camp in 2008. The upper left is the view of the sky overcast with grey clouds seen from the bottom of the steps leading away from the gas chamber. The bottom right is a picture of the sky through the stone walls and razor wire encircling the camp. On the left set above both pictures is a cut out of a burned cross displayed at the site marking Pope John Paul II’s visit.
Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria left a deep and lasting impression on me when I visited the place at age 17. The day was overcast and there was a pall over the space and my heart. When we departed, we were each given some blank paper and encouraged to spend some time reflecting. This poem spilled out of my soul and has always sat with me. Sometimes I consider tweaking the poem for rhythm and rhyming scheme but in the end, I always choose to keep it untouched as a memorial to that poignant moment in my life.
